Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
gives ample time for a new flush of weeds to emerge, thus defeating much of the purpose in an-
nual crops. In long-term perennial crops, geese could possibly be used in the off season to con-
trol perennial weeds provided the weeds are young and tender enough for the geese to desire
and utilize for nutrition. The innovations of small organic growers will continue to explore and
challenge the rule in circumstances like this.
The Author's Experience:The Pastured Duck
Pasture-raised duck has been a very successful part of poultry farming on Kingbird.
We started when customers began to request duck for special occasions. Initially my
husband was concerned about the economic viability of the project, since ducks are
more difficult to process. However, we found processing to be the only difficulty in
raising duck in our system.
Brooding
We chose Pekin ducks to begin with for their uniform growth and white feathers. An
unused greenhouse became their brooder, with ample sunshine and warmth for spring
brooding. When temperatures increased beyond the comfort of the ducklings we
covered the greenhouse with a shade cloth and provided fans. We initially sectioned
off the greenhouse to start the ducklings in one corner and then gradually gave them
more space as they grew. Unlike chicks, they could not fly over the low barriers we
used to divide the space. For brooding we used the basic equipment used for starting
any poultry: infrared heat lamps, 1-gallon chick drinkers, dry softwood shavings, and
paper egg flats as feeders. The only adjustment we made to this setup was to place
the drinker in a garbage can lid or other low-sided lid to prevent the bedding from
getting wet. Ducklings tend to splash and sputter large sums of water everywhere.
They enjoy running back and forth between the drinker and the feed, alternating
mouthfuls, dirtying the water and moistening the feed. All of this duckling activity
can lead to moldy feed, smelly water, and soggy bedding if it's not managed. We
change feed and water more often with ducklings, but not excessively.
Outdoor Access
As the ducklings begin to feather out and the weather turns warm, we begin to allow
them outdoors during the day and herd them back in at night. Letting them out gives
them access to forage (which they relish) and allows us to feed and water them out-
doors and avoid litter management issues. We do not allow them swimming water
